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Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame voting started after several long-time players had retired. After Dave Leibowitz left the league (though he would return a couple of years later), the voting ended and no other players were added after the 2027 season making this a highly exclusive club. :) There were 2 methods for being inducted. The first was the straight vote. The top players would be nominated and had up to 3 seasons of eligibility post-retirement. If not voted-in after the 3rd season of eligibility, there was a last-chance supplemental vote that certain players could be eligible for based on how many votes were accumulated over those previous 3 chances. This second method was dubbed "inducted by GM Committee" but this was really not an accurate name as there was no committee and all GMs could vote. Class of 2018 Marian Gaborik * Winger * Played in 10 All-Star games * Art Ross Trophy (4) * MVP (4) * Best All-Around Forward (4 times) * A unanimous choice by the GMs for the Hall of Fame. He set the standard for offensive performance in the league and holds 4 of the top 5 slots for most assists in a single season. Here's the deal that Edmonton put together to land him from Minnesota: EDM traded G Tommy Salo, L Steve Reinprecht, L Alexei Mikhnov, C Riku Hahl and EDM's round 3 pick in 2004 to MIN for G Manny Fernandez, R Marian Gaborik and TB's round 4 pick in 2004 * Think that Wild GM looks back on that deal fondly (I think it was Padraig)? Tim Gleason * Defenseman * Played in 12 All-Star games * 2007 All-Star Game MVP * Gleason flew somewhat under the radar for his career compiling excellent numbers for a defenseman without getting the day-to-day recognition that some others may have gotten. But you can't argue with 12 All-Star Game selections (that's 2 more than Gaborik the Great) AND being an All-Star Game MVP one of those times. All-in-all, he was a great puck-handling defenseman who also took care of business in his own end. Ryan Miller * Goaltender * Played in 5 All-Star games * Miller may have gone down as more of a legendary goalie had he played on teams like Buffalo or Vancouver. But his skills were second-to-none and he carried the teams he played for on his shoulders. Mika Noronen * Goaltender * 3 Cups * Played in 3 All-Star games * Noronen was probably the top goalie in the league's earliest days and was the anchor of those great Buffalo teams. Perhaps only Kari Lehtonen could compare to Noronen. Class of 2019 Jani Rita * Forward * Played in 6 All-Star games * Conn Smythe Trophy (1) * 1 Cup * Jani Rita started in Edmonton but earned his way to the Hall in Dallas where he racked up numbers that put him at or near the top of the career leaders in the 3 big offensive categories. A well-rounded player, he managed to put up a string of top-notch seasons without getting nearly the attention of Marian Gaborik. Kari Lehtonen * Goaltender * 3 Cups * Played in 10 All-Star games * League MVP (1) * Best Goaltender (4) * The Gaborik of goaltenders, Lehtonen set some standards that may never be equaled. He won the Top Goalie award an amazing 4 times and set the league standards for wins and shutouts over the course of his career. He earned the status of "legend" long ago and never settled for anything less than greatness. Stanislav Chistov * Center * 2 Cups * Conn Smythe Trophy (1) * Played in 6 All-Star games * Stan Chistov continually found himself near the top of the scoring charts but was consistenly overshadowed by the likes of Gaborik and Rita. Nonetheless, in his second year of Hall eligibility, the voters decided his career accomplishments merited recognition and it's hard to disagree. He was a key player for many years in the Buffalo dynasty. Class of 2020 Ilya Kovalchuk * Winger * 3 Cups * Conn Smythe Trophy (1) * Kovalchuk will be inducted with longtime teammate Scott Hartnell. Though a prolific offensive player, it was the complete-ness of his game that made Kovalchuk his name in the league. Though he never played in the All-Star Game, the GMs around the league recognize his contribution to the Canucks' glory days and he even was the playoff MVP one-time - a remarkable accomplishment on a team that boasted some of the best talent in the league. Scott Hartnell * Winger * 3 Cups * Played in 1 All-Star game * With HoF classmate Ilya Kovalchuk, Hartnell did most of his damage as a Canuck. He retired just 1 goal shy of the major milestone of 500. He, like Kovalchuk, was a fairly complete player but with a bit more of a scoring touch. He played in only 1 All-Star game but compiled career stats that put him among the game's greats. Rick Nash * Winger * Top Defensive Forward (7) * Played in 3 All-Star games * Nash was the first truly great defensive forward in the league and was nearly unanimously voted into the Hall - he was 1 vote shy. His 7 awards for Top Defensive Forward might never be matched and he also added plenty of offensive numbers to his legacy. Jay Bouwmeester * Defenseman * 2 Cups * Top Defensive Defenseman (1) * Played in 5 All-Star games * A physical and offensive force, Bouwmeester was one of the first really excellent defensemen in the league and was on 5 all-star teams to prove it. He also was named the league's top defensive defenseman by the league's GMs once and won 2 Cups. Lars Jonsson * Defenseman * 2 Cups * Played in 5 All-Star games * During his first three season in the GHL, Jonsson didn't do much to distinguish himself. Only after the Rangers sent him to Buffalo did he become one of the league's top all-around defensemen. Though he was still relatively under-recognized relative to other defensemen in the game, he managed his way into 5 all-star games which is quite an accomplishment. Class of 2022 Vladislav Evseev * Winger * 5 Cups * MVP (1) * Top All-around Forward (1) * Played in 5 All-Star games * Conn Smythe Trophy (1) * Maurice Richard Trophy (3) * Art Ross Trophy (1) * Compiled some huge career numbers and received lots of post-season hardware. A real champion. Class of 2023 Crister Henriksen * Forward * 1 Cup * Played in 9 All-star games * A splendid offensive player who was no slouch defensively either. He retires 4th all-time in goals, 3rd in assists, and as the all-time leader in career points. Jesse Houde * Winger * 1 Cup * Played in 9 All-star games * Maurice Richard Trophy (1) * The first great goal scorer drafted in the GHL and he's also one of its greatest defensive forwards. Retired 2nd to Evseev in career goals and 2nd to Henriksen in points. Lubor Tiptmann * Goaltender * 5 Cups * Played in 7 All-star games * Top Goaltender (1) * While not the shutout machine that Kari Lehtinen was, he was still nearly as great and a more accomplished winner. It may be a long time before another goalie reaches his career wins mark. Class of 2024 Doug Gingrich * Defenseman * 2 Cups * Played in 11 All-Star games * Retiring earlier than some of his contemporaries, he's going out at the top of his game. As of his final game, he is second to only Patrick Chelios in career points by a defenseman. While known for his puckhandling abilities, he was no slouch defensively either - though it would be a stretch to say he put any fear in opposing forwards. Robert Alarie * Winger * Played in 6 All-star games * Conn Smythe Trophy (1) * 2 Cups * Top Defensive Forward (2) * One of the first great defensive forwards drafted in the GHL. He's was also a nifty offensive player who finishes 2nd to Gaborik in career assists. Class of 2025 Patrick Chelios * Defenseman * 1 Cup * Best All-Around Defenseman (4) * Best Defensive Defenseman (1) * Played in 13 All-Star games * Started in 7 All-Star games * Chelios was the first great GHL defenseman. He combined superior offensive skills with a spectacular physical defensive game. There are those who have come on since that are putting up better numbers, but Chelios's career number should still stand up after those guys also retire. Not only that, but he retires with the most GHL career games played and had a solid final season. Stewart May * Forward * Most Valuable Player (1) * Best All-Around Forward (1) * Played in 11 All-Star games * Started in 4 All-Star games * One reason Alexei Gratchev didn't get tons of attention during his career was that he was frequently overshadowed by his own teammate, Stewie May. May finishes his career as the all-time GHL leader in points and he played in fewer games than anyone in the top 6. Very impressive. Alfred Cederberg * Right Wing * Most Valuable Player (3) * Best All-Around Forward (3) * Played in 11 All-Star games * Started in 7 All-Star games * Cederberg took a few penalties here and there. I'm sure he didn't understand all the rules of the game because he had the skill to be great without taking penalties. And he wasn't a fighter either. I just don't get it. But there's no denying his greatness with the puck as his 3 MVP trophies will attest. 2025 Supplemental Inductees Igor Hudak * Defenseman * 1 Cup * Top Defensive Defenseman (4) * Can't look at the stats for Hudak. His game was based on defense and general nastiness. Ron Limbert * Forward * 1 Cup * Played in 4 All-star games * A prolific offensive player, he was dangerous in other ways as well. Retires 2nd in career penalty minutes due to his diligence in defending his teammates. Joe Dunn * Left Wing * Played in 6 All-star games * 1 Cup * Conn Smythe Trophy (1) * Most Valuable Player (1) * Top All-around Forward (1) * Art Ross Trophy (1) * Consistently among the top scorers each season, he played a pretty complete game and didn't shy away from the physical stuff. Class of 2026 Jamie Aguirre * Forward * 1 Cup * Most Valuable Player (1) * Best All-Around Forward (1) * Played in 6 All-Star games * Started in 2 All-Star games * Aguirre retires as, perhaps, the greatest goal scorer in league history. If career goals are the top stat to evidence such a claim, then his status as the career goals leader is the proof. Class of 2027 Alexei Gratchev * Center * Played in 9 All-Star games * Started in 2 All-Star games * All-Star Game MVP (1) * Gratchev was, during his draft year, one of the most sought after players the league had seen to that point. And he didn't disappoint just a mere 2 seasnos into his career. Though he didn't have any single season that stood out as his banner year, he was just incredibly consistent from one season to the next.